Facebook for Brides

One of my best friends, recently bit the bullet; after eight (!) years of dating, Liz and her boyfriend Nick, also a friend of mine, are engaged. This comes as no surprise to anyone who knows them... nearly a decade of dating pretty much solidifies the fact she was gonna have a ring on her finger soon. While my biggest concern right now is what color my bridesmaid dress will be, I know Liz, planner that she is, already has the wedding wheels churning. (Who am I kidding -- they've been churning since she was five.) Though I will not be using this site's services for a (long) while, I think WeddingPreParty has what it takes to make her wedding planning a little easier and a lot more fun -- so Liz, this one goes out to you.

WeddingPreParty was recently launched as a branch of OneWed, a wedding planning Web site. WeddingPreParty operates as a social media site -- heavy on interactivity and light on formality. The wedding party and guests can use this as a hub to share information, post photos and help the couple plan their wedding. Each wedding has its own login info, keeping the wedding details private. Facebook users are able to log into the site using their account, and a little help from Facebook Connect. Whatever they do on the wedding site can then be published back on Facebook, which puts the info in front of more of their friends -- hence the viral nature of the site.

A recent Mashable article suggests some great ways wedding parties can use the site: "Those who are invited to the wedding pre-party website can add comments, propose a toast, add wedding tips (useful if you’ve been through it before), and provide stark and truthful info on weddings (on top of that, the bride and groom can ask for inspiration for new ideas)." The bride can assign duties and their deadlines, as well as see a basic checklist every bride could use. Finally, the couple can easily link to their cheesy but necessary “how we met" stories, pictures and gift registry.

WeddingPreParty is the first of its kind, and for those looking for a little organizational help while maintaining a fun feel, this could be a huge hit. I'm looking forward to Nick and Liz using this site... but not nearly as much as I am looking forward to the wedding!